Watch display and storage cabinet

ABSTRACT

A cabinet having a hinged, see-through door for viewing wristwatches strapped around individual shelves which are rotatable forwardly and rearwardly to permit an easy strapping onto the shelf for display, and an easy removal for wearing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the storage of watches, in general, and to a cabinet for the display and storage of premier timepieces, every-day priced watches, and just about any type of watch collection in-between, in particular.

2. Description of the Related Art

As has been reported in Robb Report magazine, the latest complicated timepieces from the established Swiss brands stand like distinguished older gentlemen among divas—the dazzling, glamorous, diamond and gem laden ladies' watches.

More specifically, jewelry watches have emerged in force, from exquisite high jewelry treatments of classic models to creative designs with brightly colored accents. Diamonds are now found to embellish everything from dials to bezels, to bracelets, often with varying degrees of flash. Unlikely combinations of diamonds with steel, rubber straps, or even plastic straps today defy traditional styling. Healthy doses of color have been injected into jewelry watches, and several brands have introduced vintage-inspired miniature sizes.

As additionally reported, a new generation of perpetual calendars is booming the popularity of mechanical watches, and multiple functions are popular again—with perpetual cabinets being combined with minute repeaters and moon phase indicators. Spiffy diver's watches are the latest status symbols, as technical marvels continue to be introduced.

The one thing that all these new high-end men's mechanicals and chronographs have in common is their sophisticated, gentlemanly looks. Dials are tone-on-tone, with subtle markers and smaller sub-dials. With a growing number of mechanical watches being designed for women (as movements become smaller and more refined with few components), it has been written that equal opportunity is now making its mark even in the world of complicated timepieces.

As will therefore be appreciated, just storing wristwatches of these characters and craftsmanship in a typical compartmentalized watch case is inadequate at the least, and insulting at best. Keeping the compartmentalized watch case on a dresser, or in a drawer for that matter, clearly detracts from the image associated with the owner of these timepieces whose prices typically can run into 6 figures.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a wristwatch display and storage cabinet which an owner of a premier or other timepiece can be proud of.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a display and storage cabinet in which the timepiece can be easily inserted, displayed, automatically kept running and stored, and then removed for wearing.

It is an object of the invention, also, to provide such a display and storage cabinet which also allows for the showing off of other fine jewelry at the same time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As will become clear from the following description, the wristwatch display encasement of the present invention includes a cabinet having enclosed top, bottom and rear walls, and a pair of side walls; a see-through door hinged to a front of the cabinet for respectively closing and opening the cabinet; and at least one horizontally aligned shelf within the cabinet, hinged at a first end to an inside surface of one of the pair of side walls to rotate forwardly away from, and rearwardly towards, an initial quiescent placement. In accordance with the invention, the shelf is of a length less than the width of the cabinet between the side walls, and of a height and depth to align vertically the dial or face of a wristwatch strapped thereabout. In a preferred embodiment, means are included along an inside surface of the top wall for illuminating the cabinet when the see-through door is closed to highlight the dial-face display. With the shelf being of a height greater than its depth, the opposing ends of the wristwatch strap can be displayed and illuminated as well.

Recognizing that several wristwatches might wish to be displayed and illuminated at the same time, a further embodiment of the invention includes a plurality of these horizontally aligned shelves, vertically spaced from one another. Where the timepiece collection is greater than can be displayed on these shelves, the invention envisions the further inclusion of a pull-out drawer which extends forwardly away from the rear cabinet wall at a location above the cabinet bottom. Realizing that space still may not be sufficient —and that other pieces of jewelry might wished to be displayed and illuminated at the same time, one embodiment of the invention also includes an additional shelf above the pull-out drawer, extending substantially the width and depth of the cabinet on which such items may be laid.

As will be understood, a display encasement of this type can be free standing or, alternatively, can be hung on a wall for easy viewing. Additionally, two, three or more encasements can be joined together, as for displaying masculine and feminine wristwatches separately or simply to display and illuminate larger collections. In one further embodiment, three such encasements are joined together, with the middle one of the three being of greater height, but with fewer shelves, although having more drawers. As will be readily understood, such a configuration is in accordance with the teachings of the invention, but presented differently for purposes of aesthetic decoration.

And, although the emphasis of the previous discussion has revolved about the display and storage of the premier, expensive, timepieces, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the described constructions apply equally as well to the presentation of every-day worn watches no matter their price, and to whatever types of collection of watches an owner may have.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

These and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a 3-cabinet wristwatch display encasement constructed in accordance with the invention in which the left and center cabinets, and center and right cabinets are joined together at their adjacent side walls;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are views helpful in an understanding of the left, center and right cabinets in their opened positions, helpful in understanding of the different embodiments of the invention;

FIGS. 5 a, 5 b and 5 c are front, top and side views of the cabinet shelves on which a displayed watch may be strapped, with rear and bottom views being mirror images of their respective front and top views; and

FIG. 6 is helpful in an understanding of the forward and rearward rotations of the horizontal shelves to permit an easy strapping of a watch onto the shelf for display, and an easy removal therefrom for wearing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The wristwatch display encasement of FIGS. 1-4 is composed, first of all, of 3 cabinets each having top, bottom and rear walls, a pair of side walls, and a see-through door 15 hinged to a front of the cabinet as at 17 for respectively closing and opening the cabinet. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the cabinet 10 includes 2 horizontally aligned shelves 20, 22, each of a length less than the width of the cabinet 10 between its side walls. Similarly, the right cabinet 14 includes 2 horizontally aligned shelves 24, 26, also with each being of a length less than the width of the cabinet 14 (FIG. 4).

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, on the other hand, the center cabinet 12 includes only one horizontally aligned shelf 28, likewise of a length less than the width of the cabinet 12. As will be understood by the skilled artisan from a reading of this description, the numbers of these shelves can be intermixed in any manner, extending from just having one horizontally aligned shelf to 2, 3, 4, etc. shelves, each vertically displaced an amount depending upon the ultimate height selected for the cabinet, and as a function of the number of watches to be displayed on each shelf.

Each of the cabinets 10, 12, 14 is provided with an appropriate manner of illumination for the cabinet, as illustrated at 30, constructed in any desired manner so as to illuminate the inside of the display when the see-through door 15 is closed. Although a bulb may be employed in this respect, a plastic encased rope-lighting which extends along the inside surface of the top wall may be utilized, or one which extends both horizontally and vertically along the inside surface of the front wall or rear wall of the cabinet. As it is the intent of the present invention to display the dial of a wristwatch substantially vertically when it is strapped around the shelf, each shelf is selected of a height 100 greater than its depth 102 as illustrated by the views of FIGS. 5 a-5 c, the shelf length 104 once again being less than the width of the respective cabinet. A hinge 32 of a type illustrated in FIG. 6, for example, is included at an inside surface of one of the pair of side walls for each cabinet to couple to the shelf or shelves in allowing them to rotate forwardly away from and rearwardly towards an initial quiescent placement in the closed cabinet as illustrated in each of the respective drawings. Such shelf, when rotated forwardly, preferably permits a shelf rotation out towards the front of the cabinet with its door opened in allowing any or all of the watches 50 to be unstrapped from the shelf for removal and subsequent wearing; or, when rotated rearwardly, a storage and display of the strapped watch when the shelf is rotated back to the quiescent placement. The left and right see-through cabinets 10 and 14 also include a pull-out drawer 60 for storage of other watches and jewelry accessories, and/or instruction manuals for each timepiece.

As will be evident, the drawers 60 are arranged to extend. forwardly away from the rear cabinet wall, at a location above the bottom wall, and between the side walls. Recognizing that it might also be desirable to display bracelets and/or other items of jewelry and/or other watches, an additional shelf 62 is included above the drawers 60 in extending substantially the width and depth of each cabinet. The center cabinet 12, on the other hand, shows 3 such pull-out drawers 64, with its own additional shelf 66. The 3-cabinet embodiment of FIG. 1 shows yet a further arrangement in which two more pull-out drawers 68 are utilized, below the bottom wall of the cabinets 10, 12 and 14, one of which extends below the bottom wall of the left cabinet 10 and half the center cabinet 12, and with the other extending below the bottom wall of the right cabinet 14 and the second half of the center cabinet 12.

As will be understood, the left and right cabinets 10 and 14 of FIG. 1 are of substantially the same height between their top and bottom walls, and the center cabinet 12 is of a greater height. It will be appreciated that this is just a matter of design choice, as are the number of shelves to be included in each cabinet, the number of pull-out drawers there employed, and the manner of hinging or otherwise controlling the opening and closing of the cabinet doors. Each arrangement, however, will be seen to be inclusive of the teachings of the invention of providing a wristwatch or timepiece display encasement having a hinged, see-through door for viewing the wristwatches or timepieces strapped around the individual shelves, with the shelves being each rotatable forwardly and rearwardly to permit an easy strapping onto the shelf for display, and an easy removal for wearing. With each cabinet depth of some 10 inches, for example, with the left and right cabinets 10, 14 being of a height of some 32 inches, and with the center cabinet 12 of a height of 36 inches, the embodiment of FIG. 1 is configured to easily contain upwards of 75 watches and timepieces.

Low voltage lighting can be used throughout, and the see-through doors may be made double strength where desired, with any type handle 70 for opening the cabinet doors. A width of 12 inches for each cabinet suffices to store and display such numbers of timepieces.

While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For example, whereas the present invention has been described in an embodiment or embodiments where the drawers horizontally pull out, changes can be made so that the drawers pull out at different angles to enhance a selection of the watches or jewelry stored therein for wearing. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the invention. 

1. A wristwatch display encasement comprising: a cabinet having enclosed top, bottom and rear walls, and a pair of side walls; a see-through door hinged to a front of said cabinet for respectively closing and opening said cabinet; and at least one horizontally aligned shelf within said cabinet, hinged at a first end to an inside surface of one of said pair of side walls to rotate forwardly away from and rearwardly towards, an initial quiescent placement; with said shelf being of a length less than the width of said cabinet between said side walls and of a height and depth to align vertically the dial of a wristwatch strapped thereabout.
 2. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 1 wherein said shelf is of a height greater than its depth.
 3. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 1, including means along an inside surface of said top wall for illuminating the cabinet when said see-through door is closed.
 4. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 1, including a pull-out drawer extending forwardly away from said rear cabinet wall between said side walls at a location above said bottom wall.
 5. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 4, including an additional shelf above said pull-out drawer extending substantially the width and depth of the cabinet.
 6. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 1, including a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally aligned shelves within said cabinet, each hinged at a first end to an inside surface of one of said pair of side walls to rotate forwardly away from, and rearwardly towards, an initial quiescent placement, and with each of said shelves being of a length less than the width of said cabinet between said side walls, and of a height and depth to align vertically the dial of wristwatches strapped thereabout.
 7. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 6, including means along an inside surface of said top wall for illuminating the cabinet when said see-through door is closed.
 8. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 7, including a pull-out drawer extending forwardly away from said rear cabinet wall between said side walls at a location above said bottom wall, and an additional shelf above said pull-out drawer extending substantially the width and depth of the cabinet.
 9. A wristwatch display encasement comprising: a first cabinet having enclosed top, bottom and rear walls, and a pair of side walls; a first see-through door hinged to a front of said first cabinet for respectively closing and opening said first cabinet; and at least one horizontally aligned shelf within said first cabinet hinged at a first end to an inside surface of one of said pair of side walls to rotate forwardly away from, and rearwardly towards, an initial quiescent placement; with said shelf being of a length less than the width of said first cabinet between said side walls thereof, and of a height and depth to align vertically the dial of a wristwatch strapped thereabout; a second cabinet having enclosed top, bottom and rear walls, and a pair of side walls; a second see-through door hinged to a front of said second cabinet for respectively closing and opening said second cabinet; and at least one horizontally aligned shelf within said second cabinet hinged at a first end to an inside surface of one of said pair of side walls of said second cabinet to rotate forwardly away from, and rearwardly towards, an initial quiescent placement; with said shelf of said second cabinet being of a length less than the width of said second cabinet between said side walls thereof, and of a height and depth to align vertically the dial of a wristwatch strapped thereabout; and a third cabinet having enclosed top, bottom and rear walls, and a pair of side walls; a third see-through door hinged to a front of said third cabinet for respectively closing and opening said third cabinet; and at least one horizontally aligned shelf within said third cabinet hinged at a first end to an inside surface of one of said pair of side walls of said third cabinet to rotate forwardly away from, and rearwardly towards, an initial quiescent placement; with said shelf of said third cabinet being of a length less than the width of said third cabinet between said side walls thereof, and of a height and depth to align vertically the dial of a wristwatch strapped thereabout; with said first and second cabinets being joined together at adjacent side walls thereof, and with said second and third cabinets being joined together at adjacent side walls thereof.
 10. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 9, wherein each horizontally aligned shelf is of a height greater than its depth.
 11. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 1, wherein said first and third cabinets are of the same height between the top and bottom walls thereof.
 12. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 11, including the means along an inside surface of said top wall of each of said first, second and third cabinets for illuminating each such cabinet when its respective see-through door is closed.
 13. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 12, with each cabinet including a pull-out drawer extending forwardly away from the rear cabinet wall thereof between their respective side walls at a location above their respective bottom walls.
 14. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 13, with each cabinet including a further shelf above their respective pull-out drawers extending substantial i-y the width and depth of each said cabinet.
 15. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 12, including first and second pull-out drawers below the bottom wall of said first, second and third cabinets, with said first pull-out. drawer extending below the bottom wall of said first cabinet and a first half of the bottom wall of said second cabinet, and with said second pull-out drawer extending below the bottom wall of said third cabinet and a second half of the bottom wall of said second cabinet.
 16. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 1, including at least one wristwatch coupled onto each horizontally aligned shelf within said cabinet.
 17. The wristwatch display encasement of claim 9, including at least one wristwatch coupled onto each horizontally aligned shelf within said first cabinet, said second cabinet and said third cabinet. 